Loyalty
by Dragoon Swordsman
Summary: Suikoden V,an AU take on a scene in Lunas just after the escape from SolFalena. Hints at PrincexLyon, rated just to be safe.


I own none of this, obviously.

* * *

The room was bare, the silver-haired teenager noted distantly. Just a bed and a rug, really, not exactly the sort of accommodations he was used to. That was fine with him, though; he was in no shape to care about creature comforts. 

He was Freyjadour Falenas, Prince of Falena, and he had just escaped a coup by the noble Godwin family. Following the murder of his mother, Arshtat, Queen of Falena, and his father, Ferid, Commander of the Queen's Knights, Freyjadour had taken refuge with his cousin Haswar in the holy land of Lunas.

Accompanying him were his aunt Sialeeds, sister to the late Queen; Georg Prime, a Queen's Knight and an old friend of Ferid; Zegai, a gladiator from the nation of Armes; and Lyon, Freyjadour's obsessively loyal bodyguard and cherished companion.

Frey clenched a fist. It had been planned for quite some time, he was sure. Much as he'd disliked Salum Barrows, and loathed his noodle-spined son Euram, they paled beside Marscal Godwin and his scheming son, Gizel. The Barrows were merely buffoons, while the Godwins were malevolent to the core, which was made plain when they employed the infamous Nether Gate assassin organization in their coup.

_And because of them, Mom and Dad are gone forever,_ Frey thought. Memories of recent days flashed through his mind; his father, Ferid, gripping him in an affectionate headlock on his return from Lordlake; his mother, Arshtat, enfolding him an a warm embrace. All gone, now.

Tears prickled his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He couldn't afford to lose control, not while there was still so much to do. He had to avenge his parents, he had to stop the Godwins, he had to save Lym…

Behind him, the door opened, and Lyon quietly stepped in. "Prince?"

Normally that voice would have brought a smile to his face, but not this time. He was in too much pain; it was all he could do just to turn and meet her gaze. He tried to speak, but couldn't when a lump formed in his throat.

"Frey," Lyon whispered, dropping her formal manner; years before, he had asked her to use his given name when it was just the two of them, or them plus his family. She'd agreed readily enough; Ferid and Arshtat had always treated her like their own daughter, giving her a home when Ferid rescued her from the Nether Gate. Lyon had gone into training to become Frey's bodyguard shortly thereafter, out of gratitude for Ferid taking her in.

Even if she hadn't owed the late Commander, though, she would still have been devoted to his son. Lyon and Frey had taken to each other right from the start; she had never had any friends in Nether Gate, while he had just longed for companionship from someone his own age. Soon they were training together and getting into all sorts of mischief in their free time.

Freyjadour Falenas taught Lyon how to live; in return she both protected him and willingly provided the companionship he so desperately wanted. She'd made other friends, most notably Princess Lymsleia's slightly demented bodyguard Miakis, but the Prince of Falena had a special place in her heart.

"Frey," she repeated, moving closer. She hated to see him in such pain.

Frey swallowed hard. "Lyon," he managed. "I…"

Lyon stepped forward and embraced him. "I know," she whispered. "I know, Frey. I wish I could help-"

"You _are_ helping," the prince said, his voice a little stronger. "Just knowing that you're here, with me, helps a lot. I've always known I could count on you." He pulled back a little, managing a smile through his tears.

She smiled back, glad to see that his spirits had raised a little, however temporary it might be. "I'm happy to be of service," she said.

Frey hugged her again, then stepped back. "I just wish…I knew where to go from here, what to do…"

Lyon tilted her head. "Frey?"

"We can't stay in Lunas," he said, "the Godwins will be coming, and soon. We have to get enough distance from Sol-Falena that they won't be able to chase us, at least not for a while."

The former assassin marveled at her charge's ability to assess the situation even while half-mad from grief. Probably his parents' influence, she decided. "Where?"

"At least as far as Haud Village," Frey said. "Maybe all the way to Rainwall; I don't trust Salum Barrows, and I can't stand Euram, but we don't have many options."

Lyon nodded. She had to agree. "What then?"

"We rest, and plan our next move," he said in a hard voice. There was a look in his pale blue eyes that Lyon had never seen before, and she was very glad it wasn't directed at her. "And somehow, save Lym and make the Godwins pay for what they've done."

_The Godwins have made a very powerful enemy,_ Lyon thought.

Frey looked at her. "Lyon, I have absolutely no right to ask this, but…could you come with me? There's no one I'd rather have at my side than you."

She smiled gently. "Of course you have the right, Frey. I became your bodyguard of my own free will, and you're the first real friend I ever had." She came forward and pulled him into another hug. "I'll stay by your side till the end, Frey."

He hugged her back. "Thank you, Lyon."

* * *

Author's note: Just thought I'd better point a couple of things out. It's only logical the Frey is able to compartmentalize his emotions as depicted here, considering his situation; to do otherwise would very likely get him killed. As for Lyon calling him by name, I figured that would be appropriate when they're in private since theirs is more than just a royal/bodyguard relationship. 

Aside from that, though I have played Suikoden V, the farthest I've ever gotten is beating that homicidal tree thing in the Twilight Forest Ruins, though I've seen some later events via youtube. Lyon is by far my favorite character, and I can easily see her and the Prince ending up together.


End file.
